In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character with varying short term ambitions which all relate to her overall goal of self-betterment. The downward spiral of Lady Macbeth’s character has a direct correlation with the apparition of the two characters marital relationship. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth starts as a ruthless character, with a thirst for power that eventually leads to her emotional demise and loss of sanity. Likewise, the couple’s relationship starts as strong and communicative but transitions into an emotional and physical separation as Lady Macbeth gets closer to her breaking point and Macbeth becomes mad with power.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth shows a large amount of affection towards his wife, who we see in her usual state of darkness. We are introduced to Lady Macbeth’s strong character, who desires power. She wants to ensure that Macbeth becomes King and when her husband has doubts, she tells him “Only look up clear. / To alter favor ever is to fear. / Leave all the rest to me.” (I.5.63-65), demonstrating her strength in capability of creating a plan to achieve her goal. Macbeth shows his love
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“Why do you keep alone, / Of sorriest fancies your companions making” (III.2.10-11). Unlike before, when Lady Macbeth was strong and sure of her decisions, she is now overcome with doubt, worrying all the time about if she made the right decision to push Macbeth into this. When talking to herself, Lady Macbeth says “Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without content. / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.” (III.2.6-9), showing that she no longer has desire to live knowing that it would be easier to be dead and at peace then to live with the guilt of what she’s
As the story unfolds, it is evident that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are in an abusive relationship. Lady Macbeth seems to be the one that has the top say and final decision in the relationship. Macbeth, however, seems to coward under Lady Macbeth in most situations. He seems to be a lot more sympathetic that his wife, especially when he decided no to go through with killing the king.
Mourning the weakness and inability of her gender, Lady Macbeth urges her husband to follow through with their devious designs. Inevitably, he gives in and completes the first of many horrendous deeds. Out of all his associates, Macbeth’s wife may actually have pushed him to murder to obtain the kingdom, with or without a prophecy. Yet, she could have had apprehensions of her own, or doubted her husband’s ability, thus deciding to keep her ambitions to herself. One thing is certain: she is a twisted enough person to contemplate such a purely evil
Macbeth is no longer an honest, innocent husband, as he was in the beginning. Macbeth has completed his transition from an honest and caring leader, into a cold, heartless individual, which is shown when he voices: “She should have died hereafter / There would have been a time for such a word.” (V.v.17-18) Macbeth is informed about his wife’s suicide, and shows absolutely no remorse, which shows how heartless he has become.
Furthermore, lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to become courageous and brave. Lady Macbeth manipulates him straight to his face, “Looks like th’ innocent / flower / but be the serpent under’t” (Act.1.6.76-77). Lady wants her husband to be fair, kind, and polite, but at the same time she
Throughout the scene, Macbeth is subjected to mockery, guilt-tripping, and dishonor for hesitating to kill the king. She brilliantly structures her arguments to focus on her husband, portraying her cause to be in his best interest. This succeeds, for Lady Macbeth knows her husband is an egocentric and, in his eyes, a valiant man. In the end, Macbeth decides to go through with the plan, but becomes more passionate about it than before. Lady Macbeth manipulated him into solidly committing to it.
A Comparative Between Lady Macbeth and Daisy Buchanan In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the main women struggle to cope with the circumstances they face in their lives. Both Lady Macbeth and Daisy Buchanan reveal their feelings of disillusionment through the alienation in their relationships, the murders that take place, and through their common desire to be at the top of the social order. Their actions have an impact on others but most importantly have consequences for themselves.
As Lady Macbeth continues to hide her “weak” attributes by displaying a stronger shell, she also reveals her sense of ambition. Although Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both seek power, it is obvious that power is what drives Lady Macbeth. From the second she knew about the witches’ prophecies, she made it her goal to become King and Queen. When she creates a plan to murder King Duncan, Macbeth shows he is nervous, Lady Macbeth finds this problematic and asks him to “project a peaceful mood, because if you look troubled, you will arouse suspicion.” (1.5.63-65).
William Shakespeare portrayed the character Lady Macbeth to be extremely ruthless, malicious and manipulative. Thus, being the reason she could easily convince Macbeth to do her will, yet still put on such a convincing performance in front of those who knew nothing of her and her husband’s actions. Lady Macbeth shows her complexity constantly throughout the story when she shares her view-point on masculinity by demasculinizing her own husband, when she strategically plans the murder of the King Duncan, and finally when she finally goes crazy because of the guilt she possesses for not only her own actions but also turning her own husband into a
Her ambition is not only for herself but also for Macbeth. Nevertheless, with all her fervor, she wants him to be as strong as her. “Make thick my blood./Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose/Come to my woman’s breasts,/And take my milk for gall” (1.5.44-49). Lady Macbeth never wavers in her goal.
A relationship is where two people care about each other and put their significant other before themselves. A good relationship consists of a lot of hard work, the couple should be loyal, forgive each other, and communicate. Each relationships change over time, sometimes get better and sometimes become worse. A relationship takes a lot of effort and time. One of the most dramatic marriages ever read about was Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s.
She is a loyal though misguided wife, not without tenderness and not without conscience. Lady Macbeth’s willingness to sacrifice her femininity exposes her loyalty towards Macbeth. After reading the letter regarding the witch’s prophecies, she decides she must do whatever it take to make Macbeth King: Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty.
She is only focused on completing her goal of murdering King Duncan so her husband can usurp the throne. She realizes that her husband’s personality is rather meek, and that he would not go through with murdering King Duncan because of a quality that he has, his humanity, which she considers his greatest weakness. Deliberating with herself, she thinks of Macbeth and his potential in regard to what could come to pass: “Yet do I fear thy nature, / It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way” (Shakespeare l.v.16-18).
Celia Beyers Tinti Period 1/5 12 April 2015 Literary Analysis: Macbeth In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, he presents the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown, as a character that schemes into making rebellious plots. She reveals the desire for wanting to lose her feminine qualities in order to be able to gain more masculine ones.
The play Macbeth written by Shakespeare focuses on the rise and fall of the main character, Macbeth. Macbeth’s one critical decision was largely influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and this influence is exemplified early on in the play. In Act I Scene vii, Macbeth seemingly decides against killing King Duncan; however, Lady Macbeth persuades him to go ahead with the deed through her compelling argument. Moreover, Lady Macbeth’s ability to influence her husband so greatly demonstrates the strength of their marriage. By appealing both emotionally and logically to her husband, Lady Macbeth very easily convinces him against his own conscience.
This quotation shows the relationship Lady Macbeth holds with power as she is encouraging herself to kill the